Mark Cantrell
@man0words.bsky.social
A UK writer and journalist. Writes about social housing (day job). Author of SFF novels Citizen Zero and Silas Morlock, published by Inspired Quill.
Website: https://tykewriter.wordpress.com
Substack Newsletter: https://markcantrellauthor.substack.com
Website: https://tykewriter.wordpress.com
Substack Newsletter: https://markcantrellauthor.substack.com
Now I have the full set. Looking forward to reading my fellow IQ author's latest works. Wasn't expecting to see my name on the cover, though. I stand by every word! 😊
#booksky @inspiredquill.bsky.social
#booksky @inspiredquill.bsky.social
February 7, 2026 at 12:58 PM
Now I have the full set. Looking forward to reading my fellow IQ author's latest works. Wasn't expecting to see my name on the cover, though. I stand by every word! 😊
#booksky @inspiredquill.bsky.social
#booksky @inspiredquill.bsky.social
Me, a lifelong reader, and I never thought to read aloud for my dad. Mind you, he was very active in his dementia, he'd probably have been too 'busy' to pay attention...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reading was the key to breaking through the fog of my parents' dementia | Jo Glanville
It was hard to communicate with my mother or father, until reading a book out loud led to a discovery, says journalist and radio producer Jo Glanville
www.theguardian.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:07 AM
Me, a lifelong reader, and I never thought to read aloud for my dad. Mind you, he was very active in his dementia, he'd probably have been too 'busy' to pay attention...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The latest on my author site...
As readers we often write ourselves into the 'biography' of a book, contributing tantalising clues to the human connection they represent.
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/you-dont-g...
#books #literature #booksky #readers #history #heritage
As readers we often write ourselves into the 'biography' of a book, contributing tantalising clues to the human connection they represent.
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/you-dont-g...
#books #literature #booksky #readers #history #heritage
February 1, 2026 at 10:52 AM
The latest on my author site...
As readers we often write ourselves into the 'biography' of a book, contributing tantalising clues to the human connection they represent.
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/you-dont-g...
#books #literature #booksky #readers #history #heritage
As readers we often write ourselves into the 'biography' of a book, contributing tantalising clues to the human connection they represent.
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/you-dont-g...
#books #literature #booksky #readers #history #heritage
Reposted by Mark Cantrell
Did you know we've only ever published ONE book in January!? 😅
Happy 14th(!!) birthday to Claiming One by E.J. Runyon!
Indie Authors - share your January-publications! (Yes, really. Let's give the readers of BlueSky some ideas for their 2026 TBR piles!)
Happy 14th(!!) birthday to Claiming One by E.J. Runyon!
Indie Authors - share your January-publications! (Yes, really. Let's give the readers of BlueSky some ideas for their 2026 TBR piles!)
January 31, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Did you know we've only ever published ONE book in January!? 😅
Happy 14th(!!) birthday to Claiming One by E.J. Runyon!
Indie Authors - share your January-publications! (Yes, really. Let's give the readers of BlueSky some ideas for their 2026 TBR piles!)
Happy 14th(!!) birthday to Claiming One by E.J. Runyon!
Indie Authors - share your January-publications! (Yes, really. Let's give the readers of BlueSky some ideas for their 2026 TBR piles!)
Reposted by Mark Cantrell
Good article in the Grauniad about Bradford's 1-12 club which I have been to loads of times, always really liked but to me it is a weird magical place as if you set me down in Bradford and told me to go there I absolutely could not find it. Ever.
www.theguardian.com/music/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/music/2026/j...
‘Fascists threatened us but we always took them on’: the anarchic Bradford club still fighting after 45 years
A new book and podcast tell the story of a 1 in 12, a venue that used community and artistic passion as bulwarks against poverty and grim politics. Its founders and key acts recall gigs, plays and pra...
www.theguardian.com
January 29, 2026 at 8:59 AM
Good article in the Grauniad about Bradford's 1-12 club which I have been to loads of times, always really liked but to me it is a weird magical place as if you set me down in Bradford and told me to go there I absolutely could not find it. Ever.
www.theguardian.com/music/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/music/2026/j...
Citizens and Serfs, your servitude is required on behalf of our masters in Silicon Valley, so if you could report for AI conditioning your conformity would be greatly appreciated (don't make us tell you again). This is a partly political broadcast on behalf of the TechBro Oligarchy...
BREAKING: Free AI training will be offered to every adult in the UK, with short courses to teach people how to use simple AI tools effectively in the workplace.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall tells #BBCBreakfast about the scheme
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall tells #BBCBreakfast about the scheme
January 28, 2026 at 11:40 AM
Citizens and Serfs, your servitude is required on behalf of our masters in Silicon Valley, so if you could report for AI conditioning your conformity would be greatly appreciated (don't make us tell you again). This is a partly political broadcast on behalf of the TechBro Oligarchy...
The things we write may often vanish into the void, but sometimes they come back at us in unexpected ways. This article from my archives is a case in point -- it got me interviewed on BBC Radio Leeds as an 'expert' on anthrax...
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/ending-the...
#history #textiles
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/ending-the...
#history #textiles
Ending the scourge Of 'Bradford's Disease'
From the Archive: Anthrax was once a lethal industrial hazard for textile workers in the city
markcantrellauthor.substack.com
January 25, 2026 at 11:47 AM
The things we write may often vanish into the void, but sometimes they come back at us in unexpected ways. This article from my archives is a case in point -- it got me interviewed on BBC Radio Leeds as an 'expert' on anthrax...
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/ending-the...
#history #textiles
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/ending-the...
#history #textiles
Dip into a dystopian future in this gripping sci-fi thriller from @inspiredquill.bsky.social...
Paperback and digital editions available from the publisher: www.inspired-quill.com/product/citi...
Alternatively, order your copy from any good bookstore...
#booksky #fiction #novels #scifi #dystopia
Paperback and digital editions available from the publisher: www.inspired-quill.com/product/citi...
Alternatively, order your copy from any good bookstore...
#booksky #fiction #novels #scifi #dystopia
January 18, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Dip into a dystopian future in this gripping sci-fi thriller from @inspiredquill.bsky.social...
Paperback and digital editions available from the publisher: www.inspired-quill.com/product/citi...
Alternatively, order your copy from any good bookstore...
#booksky #fiction #novels #scifi #dystopia
Paperback and digital editions available from the publisher: www.inspired-quill.com/product/citi...
Alternatively, order your copy from any good bookstore...
#booksky #fiction #novels #scifi #dystopia
Reposted by Mark Cantrell
To beat the price change, paperbacks are still £9.99 until Feb 1st.
That’s plenty of time to see how many books you can physically fit into a Proud Reader tote.
All formats are available direct - and eBooks will stay at £3.49 on our site (£3.99 elsewhere). 📚 (www.inspired-quill.com/books)
That’s plenty of time to see how many books you can physically fit into a Proud Reader tote.
All formats are available direct - and eBooks will stay at £3.49 on our site (£3.99 elsewhere). 📚 (www.inspired-quill.com/books)
Buy Books Online | Kindle - eBooks - Paperbacks | Inspired Quill Books
You can buy books online direct from this page. Choose between Paperback (£3 worldwide shipping), ePub or Kindle books. Buy direct and help our non-profit.
www.inspired-quill.com
January 12, 2026 at 5:37 PM
To beat the price change, paperbacks are still £9.99 until Feb 1st.
That’s plenty of time to see how many books you can physically fit into a Proud Reader tote.
All formats are available direct - and eBooks will stay at £3.49 on our site (£3.99 elsewhere). 📚 (www.inspired-quill.com/books)
That’s plenty of time to see how many books you can physically fit into a Proud Reader tote.
All formats are available direct - and eBooks will stay at £3.49 on our site (£3.99 elsewhere). 📚 (www.inspired-quill.com/books)
Millions of people face exclusion from next generation digital technology because designers can't – or won't – grasp their mobility needs.
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/technology...
#technology #disability #design #accessibility
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/technology...
#technology #disability #design #accessibility
January 11, 2026 at 2:14 PM
Millions of people face exclusion from next generation digital technology because designers can't – or won't – grasp their mobility needs.
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/technology...
#technology #disability #design #accessibility
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/technology...
#technology #disability #design #accessibility
Reposted by Mark Cantrell
Just in case you didn't get enough books in December, we have one more to add to your pile! 📚
Root Cause is a multi-author, multi-genre (gasp!) anthology on the theme of community. All profits are sent to grassroots orgs.
Look at that gorgeous cover! And social-consciousness at the same time? 👌
Root Cause is a multi-author, multi-genre (gasp!) anthology on the theme of community. All profits are sent to grassroots orgs.
Look at that gorgeous cover! And social-consciousness at the same time? 👌
January 7, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Just in case you didn't get enough books in December, we have one more to add to your pile! 📚
Root Cause is a multi-author, multi-genre (gasp!) anthology on the theme of community. All profits are sent to grassroots orgs.
Look at that gorgeous cover! And social-consciousness at the same time? 👌
Root Cause is a multi-author, multi-genre (gasp!) anthology on the theme of community. All profits are sent to grassroots orgs.
Look at that gorgeous cover! And social-consciousness at the same time? 👌
Yeah, I've had the odd dig at my Northern vowels before now, and, as an 'ex-pat Tyke', I do sometimes fear my efforts to retain my Northern spirit risk venturing into caricature territory sometimes...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
#writerslife
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
#writerslife
It’s not easy being an English northerner surrounded by southerners. Here’s how we survive | Robyn Vinter
University undergraduates are forming northern societies, but in other circumstances we find different ways to be ourselves, says Guardian north of England correspondent Robyn Vinter
www.theguardian.com
January 6, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Yeah, I've had the odd dig at my Northern vowels before now, and, as an 'ex-pat Tyke', I do sometimes fear my efforts to retain my Northern spirit risk venturing into caricature territory sometimes...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
#writerslife
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
#writerslife
Reposted by Mark Cantrell
Oof, this is powerful and heart-rending and important:
“Our Grandmother’s Words” is about the more insidious side of colonialism, the way language connects us with culture, and my grief at not being able to speak my dad’s first language. It was originally published in the fab @bcsmagazine.bsky.social here:
www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/our-...
www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/our-...
Beneath Ceaseless Skies - Our Grandmother’s Words by M.H. Ayinde
There was a horrible power in the Ishanis’ twisted words, something not of the gods at all. I did not know if it was the feather or the scroll, or perhaps the act of bringing the two together, but wha...
www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com
January 5, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Oof, this is powerful and heart-rending and important:
Reposted by Mark Cantrell
I haven't quite finished all the holiday leftovers yet, but I blinked and it's suddenly January 2026?!
So I want to know... which book did you get gifted (buying it for yourself counts! 😉) in December that you are HYPED to start next? (Obviously bonus points for an IQ title, but everything counts!)
So I want to know... which book did you get gifted (buying it for yourself counts! 😉) in December that you are HYPED to start next? (Obviously bonus points for an IQ title, but everything counts!)
a book called 6 language visual dictionary sits on a shelf with other books
ALT: a book called 6 language visual dictionary sits on a shelf with other books
media.tenor.com
January 4, 2026 at 4:00 PM
I haven't quite finished all the holiday leftovers yet, but I blinked and it's suddenly January 2026?!
So I want to know... which book did you get gifted (buying it for yourself counts! 😉) in December that you are HYPED to start next? (Obviously bonus points for an IQ title, but everything counts!)
So I want to know... which book did you get gifted (buying it for yourself counts! 😉) in December that you are HYPED to start next? (Obviously bonus points for an IQ title, but everything counts!)
So what are EU leaders -- or for that matter Keir Starmer -- going to do or say if/when Trump siezes Greenland? I guess we'll find out in due course...
January 3, 2026 at 6:46 PM
So what are EU leaders -- or for that matter Keir Starmer -- going to do or say if/when Trump siezes Greenland? I guess we'll find out in due course...
We should probably thank Trump for what he's done today. He's pulled off the mask, although it had more than slipped over Israel's genocide of the Palestinians. This is the West, what the West has always been -- Imperial in tooth and claw. 'Rules based order' was just managerialism and PR.
January 3, 2026 at 5:17 PM
We should probably thank Trump for what he's done today. He's pulled off the mask, although it had more than slipped over Israel's genocide of the Palestinians. This is the West, what the West has always been -- Imperial in tooth and claw. 'Rules based order' was just managerialism and PR.
Sent my author newsletter out to subscribers yesterday, you can dip in here...
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/tykewriter...
#authorlife #authors #booksky #creativewriting #writing
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/tykewriter...
#authorlife #authors #booksky #creativewriting #writing
Tykewriter Digest, January 2026
The latest quarterly news and writings from journalist and SFF author Mark Cantrell
markcantrellauthor.substack.com
January 3, 2026 at 12:44 PM
Sent my author newsletter out to subscribers yesterday, you can dip in here...
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/tykewriter...
#authorlife #authors #booksky #creativewriting #writing
markcantrellauthor.substack.com/p/tykewriter...
#authorlife #authors #booksky #creativewriting #writing
That moment when you press publish on your latest newsletter, only then to realise you forgot to update the headline to January 2026. Sigh.
January 2, 2026 at 5:33 PM
That moment when you press publish on your latest newsletter, only then to realise you forgot to update the headline to January 2026. Sigh.
Reposted by Mark Cantrell
Writers, read this. A great big dose of kick-ass hope for 2026 from the brilliant @chuckwendig.bsky.social 💕
All righty -- this year's writerly resolution is live, should you care to read it. The tl;dr is it's actually quite an optimistic read, so hopefully it'll give you some juice to kick open the new year and put words to stories that need to be told.
Writer Resolution 2026: Wield The Weapon That Is You
It’s never precisely easy to be a writer — professional or otherwise. I mean, it’s easy in the sense of, hey, anybody can open a word processor and start (fiercely or methodically…
terribleminds.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Writers, read this. A great big dose of kick-ass hope for 2026 from the brilliant @chuckwendig.bsky.social 💕
Something for the New Year...
www.inspired-quill.com/product/sila...
#booksky #books #fiction #scifi #darkfantasy #dystopia @inspiredquill.bsky.social
www.inspired-quill.com/product/sila...
#booksky #books #fiction #scifi #darkfantasy #dystopia @inspiredquill.bsky.social
December 31, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Something for the New Year...
www.inspired-quill.com/product/sila...
#booksky #books #fiction #scifi #darkfantasy #dystopia @inspiredquill.bsky.social
www.inspired-quill.com/product/sila...
#booksky #books #fiction #scifi #darkfantasy #dystopia @inspiredquill.bsky.social
Reposted by Mark Cantrell
Apparently I'm doing this -- my open letter to that open latter about AI in writing and publishing. I emerged from Hibernation Week to write it, so god only knows how much sense it makes. But at least a human wrote it, so that's nice.
Bonus: picture of my "cat," sweet baby Boomba.
Bonus: picture of my "cat," sweet baby Boomba.
My Open Letter To That Open Letter About AI In Writing And Publishing
The tl;dr before you get into this post is this: the SFWA came out, said that some AI usage was okay enough in books for the authors of those books to not to be disqualified from winning a Nebula a…
terribleminds.com
December 28, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Apparently I'm doing this -- my open letter to that open latter about AI in writing and publishing. I emerged from Hibernation Week to write it, so god only knows how much sense it makes. But at least a human wrote it, so that's nice.
Bonus: picture of my "cat," sweet baby Boomba.
Bonus: picture of my "cat," sweet baby Boomba.
Spent the morning working on my novel. Just can't get this scene right, it's so frustrating!
December 25, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Spent the morning working on my novel. Just can't get this scene right, it's so frustrating!
Xmas present from my niece. Good choice.
December 21, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Xmas present from my niece. Good choice.
Reposted by Mark Cantrell
“The Colonization of Confidence., Sightless Scribbles”
https://sightlessscribbles.com/the-colonization-of-confidence/
> The Tech Bros haven't invented the term, but they have automated the process. They have built a machine that weaponizes mediocrity and sells it as perfection.
https://sightlessscribbles.com/the-colonization-of-confidence/
> The Tech Bros haven't invented the term, but they have automated the process. They have built a machine that weaponizes mediocrity and sells it as perfection.
December 18, 2025 at 12:35 PM
“The Colonization of Confidence., Sightless Scribbles”
https://sightlessscribbles.com/the-colonization-of-confidence/
> The Tech Bros haven't invented the term, but they have automated the process. They have built a machine that weaponizes mediocrity and sells it as perfection.
https://sightlessscribbles.com/the-colonization-of-confidence/
> The Tech Bros haven't invented the term, but they have automated the process. They have built a machine that weaponizes mediocrity and sells it as perfection.
The underlying message of the AI missionaries is that humans are not intelligent (with the notable exception of hyper-rich tech bros) and can't function cognitively, creatively, or socially without external support.
December 17, 2025 at 1:44 PM
The underlying message of the AI missionaries is that humans are not intelligent (with the notable exception of hyper-rich tech bros) and can't function cognitively, creatively, or socially without external support.